MY ACCOUNT
Paul George has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will not feature for the Los Angeles Clippers against the New Orleans Pelicans, according to reports.
George spent three months out earlier this season due to a serious elbow injury but returned at the end of March to help the Clippers push for a playoff berth.
They did not quite seal a guaranteed postseason spot but face the Pelicans on Friday in the Western Conference’s play-in game.
The Clippers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first game of the play-in tournament but get a second shot against the Pelicans. However, they will be without their talisman George.
George scored a game-high 34 points in the defeat to Minnesota yet will sit out as his teammates aim to secure a playoff game against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the news, with his colleague Ohm Youngmisuk stating that Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations for the Clippers, had told media that George had tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday.
George averaged 24.3 points per game for the Clippers across the regular season, more than any of his teammates.
After the loss to the Timberwolves, George told reporters: “It’s win or go home.
“Obviously, [if] we don’t win, we go home. I could care less who we play. The mindset is we have to win regardless. There’s no pep talk, X’s and O’s. We’ve got to win. We’ve got to win if we want to continue our season.”
George has carried a heavy burden this season in the absence of Kawhi Leonard who has not featured at all this season due to injury, though there is hope he may return for the playoffs should the Clippers progress.
